We've had a very settled two weeks at school. Apart from a few expected niggles we've maintained a positive and predictable pace. It has been lovely.

First Eucharist

This weekend, many of our Year 3 and 4 students celebrate a very special milestone — their First Eucharist! This important sacrament is when children receive Holy Communion at Mass for the first time, sharing in the body and blood of Jesus. It’s a joyful moment that shows their growing faith and connection with God. We are so proud of all the children for preparing so well and taking part in this beautiful moment!

Three-Way Conference tips

We're looking forward to meeting with parents soon for our Three-Way Conferences.

Here are some helpful tips for when you attend:

1. Come prepared: Think about any questions or concerns you want to discuss about your child’s learning and well-being in advance. It will make the most of the short time.

2. Listen actively: Pay close attention to what the teacher and your child share during the meeting. This is an opportunity for your child to feel empowered, taking some control and responsibility. Ask age-appropriate questions of them and listen, e.g. "Tell me about how you are going in Maths...."

3. Be open and positive: Approach the conversation with an open, willing and supportive approach to work together for your child’s success.

4. Celebrate strengths: Be sure to ask about your child’s achievements and what they are doing well. It doesn't matter which area of school this is in. Seek, name and celebrate their strengths. We all have them.

5. Discuss challenges: Talk openly about any areas where your child might need extra help or support. Use the phrases 'still learning to' and 'yet', e.g. "Matthew is still learning to recognise all of his letters"; "Matthew isn't quite confident in adding fractions yet. He's on his way". These phrases show your child a positive expectation that it will happen; it's just a natural part of their learning journey.

6. Set goals together: Collaborate with the teacher and your child to create achievable goals for the coming months. Keep it small and something that can be done each day. Ensure you have a small way of celebrating when you achieve it.

7. Follow up: Ask how you can support your child at home and when you might check in again on their progress.

These steps help make the conference a great chance to support your child’s learning journey and keeps them focused on a positive future.

Working Together with the ELC

Today I met with Temi, Director of the ELC. We try to meet every week to go through the school calendar, talk about staffing, discuss support for families and students and plan for the future.

The ELC is its own entity in many ways. It is separate in terms of funding, compliance requirements and staffing. However, we work very hard to ensure that the ELC 'belongs' to the St Thomas Aquinas School community. The real measure of belonging is that when you are not there, you are missed. I think we could easily say this about our beautiful ELC who visit and borrow from the Library, attend every assembly and prayer liturgy and receive fortnightly awards alongside the school students. They definitely belong with us.

Thank you to Siobhan Fischer who has agreed to be the ELC rep on our School Community Council. We meet tonight and we are looking forward to working together to continue nourishing our school community.